


Unfulfilled Promises

by OccasionalWriterHD



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Character Death, F/F, Fluff, I actually don't know what to name this, I regret putting Peridot through all that, Multi, Peridot is a sap, Shattering - Freeform, fluff?, mentions of the diamonds, random serpent monster, this is not a happy ending, yes I am a monster
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:34:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25423969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OccasionalWriterHD/pseuds/OccasionalWriterHD
Summary: A mission to bubble up a corrupted gem fusion wreaking havoc on the beach results in Lapis getting shattered. During the fight, Her shards fall into the ocean which results in her not being able to be healed by the diamonds.This story follows Peridot as she proceeds to look for said shards, bending over backward to bring Lapis back to life. What will happen during Peridot's recovery mission? Does she succeed?Well...
Relationships: Lapis Lazuli/Peridot (Steven Universe)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 18





	Unfulfilled Promises

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger warning: Major character death
> 
> Hi there! I was really losing the motivation to continue Disease Stricken so I decided to take a break and start on this fic instead. This one is more experimental and I wanted to focus on how heartbroken, determined, sad, and all those other stuff Peridot was feeling. I must warn you, this might not be the story you should be reading if you are not having a good day or if you were expecting some sort of fluffy, rainbows, and sunshine ending. Spoiler alert: this fic does NOT have a happy ending.  
> Still, I do hope you give this a read. and with that, enjoy!

To say the mission went badly was an understatement. The mission went horribly wrong. Peridot could feel herself panting and letting out a sigh of relief even though she was not one of the gems who were fighting face to face with that horrid fusion. 

Someone else was fighting it though 

Peridot stumbled out of the small tank she was residing in, she and Pearl decided to make something to shield less combat-capable gems and Peridot modified it to act as some sort of mini, portable communication hub that would not just, collapse on itself. Peridot could worry about those details later; she had a gem to check on. 

The small team was gathered at the shoreline of the beach. Garnet made way for Peridot as she rushed over to Bismuth who was kneeling on the sand, hands clutching onto a small object. 

“Lapis is okay, right? Steven can heal her cracked gem?” Bismuth dared not look at Peridot who by now was shaking with fear. All she could do was to reveal the blue gemstone she held in her trembling hands. Well, more like what was left of the former Lapis Lazuli. 

The sight was brutal, the fusion had locked onto Lapis and reached out to grab the unfortunate gem. Lapis resisted by wrestling the fusion’s hand with her own water appendage. Little did Lapis notice that the fusion was beginning to move her swiftly towards her head. The fusion headbutted Lapis which cracked her gemstone. The fusion did not stop there, now that the water hand was gone, the fusion proceeded to grind her palms together, effectively shattering Lapis. The corrupted mind of the fusion even had the nerve to dust off the shards into the ocean as if wiping sand off her hands. 

The once perfectly formed gemstone was now an assortment of shards and pieces. The gemstone had lost its shine and almost all signs of life were gone. Almost. 

“Can’t the diamonds bring her back? Yellow said she’s healing the shattered gems. Steven- Steven could bring Jasper back-" Peridot at this point was trying desperately to hold back her sobs. She gently took the blue shards from Bismuth, trying to piece them back together like a puzzle. Her hands fumbled with the crystals, almost dropping the delicate being into the sand below. “I’m going to Yellow Diamond..." Peridot bubbled up the shards in her green-hued bubble before stumbling off to the nearest warp pad. She was going to bring Lapis back, no matter what it takes. 

\- 

It was understandable that the diamonds would kick her out of the room, even Steven agreed that Peridot constantly looking over their shoulder and pestering them for updates have been too much. The final straw was when Peridot outright lost it when Yellow Diamond could not fix the gemstone by herself. The small gem was now left outside White Diamond’s room, pacing up and down the flawless corridor that was now dirtied with the sand from the beach coupled with Peridot’s tears that were now dripping onto the floor every minute. 

The other Crystal Gems could only watch from the sides, they could not bring themselves to reassure Peridot that things would be fine. How could it be? Lapis had been shattered. The scene kept replaying in their minds – The huge multi-gem fusion could only be restrained by Lapis’ water chains for so long. The monster just plucked Lapis from the air like a fly, pressing the said gem against its hands and just leaving the shards to fall into the water below. 

A moment of carelessness had cost them a friend, an ally, a significant other. 

Eventually, after the excruciating wait, the doors had finally opened. Peridot would have poofed any gem that stood in her way and thankfully, no one dared stop her; not even the diamonds. Peridot’s breath hitched at the sight in front of her. 

There she was. The gemstone sat at the bottom of their makeshift tub. The gemstone was far from whole; lines and gaps riddled the gemstone. It barely resembled the shape of a teardrop and it just laid there, still and lifeless. Peridot felt wrong looking at the gemstone. To the humans, it was essentially just staring at a chopped up dead body. 

“Some of her shards are missing, from what I had heard from Garnet, they are probably in the ocean..." Steven struggled to finish his sentence, the now eighteen-year-old young adult had rushed back to Homeworld the moment he had heard what had happened to his dear friend. Everyone had gathered around the small set up; the Crystal Gems could not hold back their tears any longer. Pearl buried herself into Bismuth’s arm who was now kneeling in front of the tub. Amethyst with Steven and Spinel, the trio tried to offer some sort of comfort to the situation but they just could not bring themselves to do so. Garnet stood behind the group; her hands wrapped around herself as she looked down at the ground, mumbling incoherent words. 

It was at this point that Peridot had enough. There was no use sitting around and crying. “So all we need to do is to find her remaining shards? Then what in the stars name are we doing here. We need to find those fragments!” 

Peridot marched over to Lapis' gemstone and bubbled it up. Peridot clutched the bubble gingerly with both hands as she ran to the nearest warp pad. As the beam of light shot down onto herself, she looked down and the bubble that rested snuggly in her palms. She lifted the feather-light object to her face and planted a soft kiss. 

“I’m coming for you, Lapis…” 

1 week 

Peridot was hunched over her workbench. Her fingers danced across the keypad, furiously typing up the final lines of code needed for the machine she was building. For the past 5 days, Peridot had been working non-stop just to build the small underwater search submarine once she had learned that the gems could not find anything even at the deepest depths of the ocean. The only thing spurring Peridot on was the tiny piece of Lapis’ gemstone that Garnet had managed to find tangled in a cluster of seaweed. Peridot looked up from the computer and rubbed her burning eyes. She let out a small sigh before picking up the new tape recorder she had bought to help keep track of her progress. She pressed the record button which responded with a “click" 

“Mission log 1 07," Peridot began, “The Deep-Sea Diver is now at 92% completed. I have finished writing up the code for the control panels and I will install the outer hull frame of the DSD by tonight 2000 hours." Peridot rested her head on her hand. She glanced over the cobalt blue shell of the tape recorder; a wave of sadness washed over her as she ran a thumb across its surface. “Tomorrow...I will begin searching for Lapis’ remaining shards personally." Peridot felt her breath hitch at the mention of the water gem. The Crystal Gems had sacrificed most of their time going down to the depths of the ocean in search of Lapis, to which Peridot was grateful for. However, there were still corrupted gems in need of help, there were still rebel gems to identify and reform, there was still Little Homeworld to be run, there was a whole civilization that still had to be taken care of. Peridot did not blame them, yet she still felt furious when Steven broke the news to her that they could not continue searching for Lapis 24/7 any longer. Still, it did not stop Peridot from devoting every second of her life to getting her girlfriend back, no matter what it takes. 

“Peridot, out." With a “click” the recording was stopped. Peridot placed the tape recorder back onto its holder and proceeded to lean back into her chair. “Stars I have a headache," She took off her visor and set them down on the table. “Heh...if you were here you would probably tell me to take a break." Peridot glanced over to the corner of the table. A small shrine was set up with Lapis’ gemstone resting in a basin of water with a pillow that was placed at the bottom to quote on quote “make it more comfortable for Lapis since she loves pillows". Peridot stood from the chair and walked over to the small set up, propping herself up with her elbow while staring at the gemstone. Peridot reached her hand out to brush against the cracked surface of the gemstone. She ran her index finger through the cracks and ridges while getting lost in her thoughts. She recalled the days where Lapis would pick her up and carry her bridal style to the hammock when she refused to stop and take a break, complaining in a light-hearted tone that Peridot was spending more time with her robonoids then her own girlfriend She smiled fondly at the thought of Lapis trying to soothe her angry little self by hugging her close to her chest while running her long, delicate fingers through her hair. Peridot felt a teardrop slide down her face and proceeded to wipe it off. 

“I promise you Lapis, once you are back, I’ll be with you for every second that you want me to." 

\- 

1 month 

The DSD drove across the seabed, lighting the surrounding area with its headlights while it searched the ocean for pieces of a certain gemstone. A robotic hand shot out of a small compartment hidden at the base of the DSD and picked up a small object. The hand brought said object to the glass screen. Peridot pulled against a lever and squinted at the object displayed in front of her. 

“Nothing..." With a push of a button, the rock was sent flying to some random direction. Peridot let out yet another sigh of disappointment before taking out her tape recorder from a drawer build into the control panel. “Mission log 4 07,” Peridot ran her hand through her hair as she leaned onto the control panel in front of her. “I will be resurfacing after this log to charge up the DSD. After that, I will proceed with Month 2, Week 1 of the search." Peridot proceeded to put the submarine onto autopilot before rising from her seat. “So far, I have managed to locate two fragments, bringing Lazuli’s gemstone to 57.4% completion." Peridot trudged over to the back of the DSD. She had set up the small space to have her hammock and workbench with the walls decorated with either maps, reports, or pictures of her and the Crystal Gems. 

The workbench was also now the place where Lapis’ gemstone was housed. Surrounding it were old pictures of Lapis and the others. A small picture album was placed beside the pillow. “Once you stop sleeping in there, I’ll show you these pictures," Peridot picked up the book and flipped through its pages, she had borrowed a Polaroid Camera from Connie to help with her search. However, she soon realized that the camera probably could not help document her findings since there was barely any light at the bottom of the ocean. Peridot had decided to use it to take other pictures instead. The album was filled with pictures of the ocean organics Peridot had encountered during the search. She was confident that she had been to parts of the ocean that no humans even knew existed. 

“80% of the ocean is unmapped? I say I probably brought that number down to 75% now." Peridot gave Lapis ’gemstone a cocky smirk as she rested herself onto the hammock. “I..." Peridot had long forgotten that she had been recording herself and left the tape to roll. “I really miss you Lapis." Peridot closed her eyes and let the current gently rock against the DSD. “It's hard you know, being surrounded by water without you by my side. " She could feel a sob rising from her chest, yet she pushed it back down. “Everything about this damned place reminds me of you...” Peridot could remember times where she would excitedly call out for Lapis, trying to show her a colorful fish she thought Lapis would like. Or times where she would curse at Lapis for using the water to make the DSD stray from its intended path. 

“It's whatever, once you get back you can make it up to me with cuddles and kisses..." Peridot clutched the tape recorder in her hand tighter which in turn stopped the recording. Just then, an automated message was announced through the speakers of the DSD. 

“We have arrived at BEACH CITY. Initiating resurface mode." 

“I love you too much to stop this search Lapis. Looks like you were right, I AM your stubborn little gremlin." Peridot wiped the stray tears that were falling from her cheek. She let out a slight chuckle at the mention of the pet name Lapis had given her. 

“I know you like a challenge, but I’m feeling a little tired. Let me have an easier time finding you, okay?" 

10 years 

Peridot had done it. All her friends. Gone. She had managed to isolate herself from everyone else. All because she could not stop looking for Lapis. 

The first year started off the whole series of events. It was subtle at first, even when Peridot had docked in Beach City, she would still take off some time to research on how she could speed up her search. The Crystal Gems did not mind, they could understand Peridot’s sense of urgency and they even chipped in with theories and provided resources to upgrade the DSD. 

The second and third year was when the gems started to worry. Peridot was beginning to request for more private time, shooing away anyone who would enter her workshop. Speaking of her workshop, Peridot refused to even budge when Bismuth had to relocate the house so that she could fit more houses into Little Homeworld. What happened next was almost comedic. Quartz construction workers came in and moved all of Peridot’s equipment while she worked on upgrades for the DSD. If anyone had decided to take a stroll near the East wing of Little Homeworld, they would be greeted with the sight of ful3 Jaspers lifting a table and chair on their shoulders as Peridot sat on top with a drill in hand, screwing bolts into a panel. 

The next 4 years were when things took a turn for the worse. Peridot had discovered a way to track the gem shards specifically using Lapis' main gemstone as a locator of some sort. For months on end, Peridot slaved across her workbench, going on a frenzy as she tried to develop the technology to locate the shards. When Pearl offered to help, Peridot got frustrated at her first failed attempt and kicked her out. When Bismuth stopped by to drop off some materials she thought might be useful, Peridot did not even answer the door. 

The final 3 years were the worst. The moment Peridot had managed to build the locator, she was gone. Peridot had upgraded the DSD to the point she only needed to come back once a year to charge it. Initially, Peridot still came back once in a while to see how Little Homeworld was progressing and to catch up with the Crystal Gems. But eventually, Peridot stopped coming back, even straight-up refusing to return. 

It was after one very heated confrontation with Steven that ended it all. Peridot almost attacked Steven when he told her to take a break. Peridot had misinterpreted it as him telling her to call off the search, and thus, violently lashed out at Steven. 

After that, Peridot was no longer the same. Gone was her goofy, happy go lucky personality. She was irritable, depressed, and lonely. She began talking out loud in the DSD, having full conversations with either herself, Lapis’ gemstone, or even her robonoids. Whenever the radar would lead her to a false area, Peridot would straight up lose it, trashing her hammock or even pounding against the glass. 

All she wanted was for Lapis to tell her everything was going to be okay. 

100 years 

“To whoever finds this message. Please relay it to the diamonds, specifically, Steven Universe or anyone of his friends.” 

“My name is Peridot, or Peridot Facet-2F5L Cut-5XG, or Peridot Lazuli.” Her voice quivered as she delivered the last name. Peridot sat on the worn-out leather seat in front of the control panel., her form was stiff as she recorded the message. 

“I’m sorry. I have…failed everyone in more ways than one. I have shut you guys out and for the past 70 odd years, I have distanced myself away from all of you. I have...I-” Peridot paused the recording as she began to take deep breaths. In and out, in and out. 

“Sorry about that...anyways. I have been nothing but a terrible friend. I know you guys were trying your best yet I let my anger cloud my judgment and I just allowed myself to...lash out at all of you." 

“The DSD engine has overheated and I don’t have the equipment needed to repair it. The power has also run out which has left me to using my emergency batteries that if I use sparingly, would last a week. So, I am currently stranded. I have attached my location along with this message." 

“I... I won’t force you to get me, I don’t blame any of you if you guys want to leave me here just to teach me a lesson. I deserve it" Peridot could feel her guilt bubbling up as she read out her message. 

“However, I have managed to steer the DSD to where I got the radio signals from. I believe I have found the last piece." 

“Heh...I bet Amethyst would love to hear this, for your information, I am currently looking at this serpentine creature who has the last shard in its cloddy mouth. I’ll send you guys a picture." Peridot positioned her camera and snapped a picture of the serpent. It looked like an overgrown eel with razor-sharp fangs and creepy looking eyes. 

“Usually this won’t be a problem since the DSD could go in there and wrangle up the oversized snake. But as you may recall, the DSD has run out of power and I’m living off candles, this final roll of tape, 12% battery on the control panel, and about 37% on lights." Just as she said that the lights above her flickered which made Peridot let out an annoyed groan. 

“I am going in to attempt to retrieve the shard. I hope this message can get through, otherwise, our reunion with Lapis is going to be delayed.” Peridot began to prepare the DSD to allow her to exit the ship. 

“Honestly, I am terrified out of my mind. But I have made it this far, I’ll bring Lapis back." 

“I hope this goes well. Should anything go wrong, I’m sorry. And thank you, for everything you guys have done for me. I hope you guys won’t call me a clod once I send you the report of how I wrangled that monster." With a playful snigger, Peridot ended the recording. After downloading the recording into the control panel and pressing send, fear crept up once again. 

Peridot glanced over at the eel which had stuck around the DSD as it was attracted to the light. She just hopes it will stay long enough for her to rescue the last fragment. Peridot stood over the hatch, bracing herself for what was about to happen. No, she will not back out now. 

And so, Peridot opened the lid separating the interior of the submarine and the water outside. The murky seawater sloshed about and spilled over the edges of the ring slightly. All she could do was stare at the dark, unforgiving waters below her as she took in a deep breath. 

"I'm coming...Lapis." 

Peridot plunged right in and was immediately greeted with a freezing sensation shooting through her entire body. The water felt heavy and hard to move about in which was expected given that she was basically at the bottom of the ocean. Peridot let out a muffled scream. Not that she needed to quiet herself though, there was literally nobody else here except for herself, that damn creature and the last fragment of Lapis. 

The last fragment of Lapis! Adrenaline surged through Peridot as she scanned the surrounding area. There! The creature made eye contact and let out a hiss before charging at Peridot, hoping to make her its next meal. Peridot braced herself as the serpentine monster lunged at her, baring its fangs as it tried to sink its teeth into Peridot. 

Peridot gave the creature a swift punch in the eye and it backed away in pain. Peridot's celebratory cheer was quickly ended as the monster began preparing for its next attack. The serpent circled around both Peridot and the ship, eyeing her hungrily while planning its next attack. 

The creature began to swim faster, using sharp turns and movements that were getting harder and harder to keep up with. It swam over the DSD, went under Peridot, and even at one point dipped its head into the opening of the DSD. Eventually, with a decisive strike, the creature latched onto Peridot’s torso. 

Peridot let out a pained cry as the serrated edges of the creature's fangs began to dig into her form. She could feel herself begin to destabilize as the serpent added more and more pressure. 

Just as Peridot was beginning to lose hope, a faint glow caught her eye. Peridot could see the shard buried between the gums of the monster. Without wasting any more time, Peridot reached her skinny hand into the creature's mouth, yanking the shard out of. 

Peridot could have just blacked out from joy right there if not for the huge water beast clinging onto her at that very moment. 

"Stupid snake just get lost you clod!" Peridot squirmed in place, kicking and punching the monster with all the strength she could muster. A blow to the gills, a kick to its nose, a punch in the teeth. With a particularly strong jab in the eye, the serpent finally let go and swam off. 

The fragment felt heavy in Peridot’s palm. She inspected it carefully, it certainly looked like the final piece, it was firm and there were no visible cracks on it. Peridot let out a squeal of happiness as she began to swim back to the DSD. Words like happy, excited, ecstatic, joy, and content were too underwhelming to describe the raw emotion Peridot was feeling at this point. 100 years... she had done it. 

"BAM!" It seemed like the creature wanted a final act of revenge before it swam off. A scream erupted from her throat as a searing pain spread from her gemstone throughout her body. 

"Crack..." Fuck. Peridot reached her hand up to feel her gemstone, but she couldn't. Her limbs were stiff and a sharp pain shot through her whenever she moved. She felt herself free-falling deeper and deeper into the ocean. The minimal light emanating from the DSD slowly faded and faded. Peridot’s visor began to float away from her face, cracks began to riddle its once flawless surface. Peridot could barely make out her reflection from the tinted glass; a deep crack from the center of her gemstone was slowly spreading out to the edges. Peridot could feel the pain slowly increase from the ever so slowly increasing pressure as she continued to sink deeper and deeper. 

Despite the pain, she could feel something slip from her hands. The tiny piece appeared from her peripheral vision considering the fact that it sunk slower than Peridot. She could make out a faint pulsing light coming from the fragment. 

“Crack..." Peridot felt herself spasm as the crack spread deeper and deeper into her gemstone. All she could do was stare at the tiny shard. Framed by the ever so slowly dimming light from the DSD above her. A tear slipped from Peridot’s eye, merging with the seawater that was letting her fall deeper and deeper into. 

Her desperate mind could only think of solutions. Maybe she could try moving her limbs- no response. The pain she once felt was simply gone yet they remained unresponsive. Now Peridot wished that the pain would have remained, it was the only thing grounding her thoughts. With the pain gone, Peridot’s mind began to wander. 

Guilt flooded her mind. Peridot began listing out every regret she could think of. She regretted not paying attention to her damn surroundings. She regretted not visiting Beach City sooner. She regretted not being able to do anything during the fight when Lapis got shattered. Even the most minuscule of actions she did not do were screaming at her. She regretted not finishing her Camp Pinning Hearts fanfiction. She regretted not going to that concert with Bismuth and Amethyst. There were so many things she still wanted to do. She wanted to learn how to box and spar from Garnet and Pearl. She wanted to learn more about Earth's culture. She wanted to call all the Diamonds “Clods" at least once. Most importantly, she wanted to be with Lapis. How she wished she could hear her melodious laugh, be in her warm embrace, and overall, just spend time with Lapis. 

Speaking of Lapis. The shard seemed to be brightly glowing compared to the pitch-black darkness surrounding them. The blue aura brought a wave of comfort to Peridot, it was almost as if Lapis herself was right there with her, reassuring her that everything was going to be okay. 

Leading up to her final moments, Peridot’s mind began to play memories from different parts of her life. The times when she was still on the Homeworld ship with Lapis and Jasper. The day she got caught by the Crystal Gems. The day Lapis moved in with her at the barn. The time they spent together with Pumpkin. The day she left. The whole weeks of her sulking in the bathroom. The day Lapis came back and crashed a barn onto Blue Diamond. The fight against the Diamonds. The time she spent building up Little Homeworld. Peridot could not suppress how grateful she was. Her entire so-called “character arc" had led her to have the happiest moments she would ever have in her entire life. 

All that had led her to Lapis. The gem that led her on this mission in the first place, the gem that melted her heart, the gem who Peridot would suffer for over and over again because she knew that Lapis would do the same for her. Her chest felt warm despite being submerged at the bottom of the freezing ocean. Peridot tried to ignore the ever-growing crack in her gemstone. Instead, she filled her mind with the memories of being with Lapis and the time they spent together. She could feel a blush rise as she imagined Lapis being with her, giving her the best hugs and kisses a gem could ever ask for. 

As if on cue, a piece of Peridot’s gemstone chipped off. The piece looked like it was floating higher and higher, eventually reaching Lapis’ own shard. Peridot felt herself spasm and jerk about, she knew she did not have much longer. 

“Hey Peri!" There was no possible way Peridot could have heard that, yet she believed with all her heart and soul that Lapis had called out her name. There she was, hovering above Peridot with a mischievous grin. 

“Lapis..." Peridot could barely choke out Lapis’s name as her lips turned upwards into a genuine smile. Lapis spread her arms in a warm, inviting hug and stars, all Peridot wanted to do was to be embraced by her one true love. 

“CRACK!" The pain came back with a vengeance as Peridot felt herself destabilize. No, not now no. She cannot die now she just had to stay alive. Lapis was right in front of her, inviting her to come closer. 

“Lapis I-" Peridot cried out as another wave of pain surged through her body. She still had so many things she wanted to say to the gem in front of her. She had a century worth of built-up love and affection she wanted to shower Lapis in. It was almost cruel, how the universe had put what she fought so hard for right in front of her, only to snatch her away once again. Time was running out, she could shatter the next second, poof out of existence. Cease to exist- 

“I love you-" 

“Poof..." 

Nothing.

**Author's Note:**

> Constructive criticism and comments are greatly appreciated as always. Don't hesitate to drop a comment (comment moderation is only on cuz I know SOMEONE is out to get me for writing this angst fic)
> 
> Noooo Peridot :( If it helps, Steven did see the message. Whether or not a rescue mission was planned and whether or not Peridot and Lapis were found, I'll let you guys decide for yourself. 
> 
> Since the start, I wanted to find a way to work around the idea of reviving shattered gems since SU Future went "haha shattering is not permanent" and thus this fic was born from my frustration and hatred that shattering does not = to death. This is much more experimental and I wanted to focus more on Peridot's feelings and the idea of not being able to bring back a gem because her shards can't be found. This was very rushed and not as thought out as I wanted since I just needed to get this out of my system. The idea of angst was just waaaaay too tempting not to pass up.
> 
> Despite everything, I will leave the fic with this.
> 
> Maybe a gem would one day walk around at the bottom of the ocean. Maybe one day, the currents would get stronger. Whatever happens, should someone or something ever find a blue fragment drifting about in the ocean, they will definitely find a few green shards not too far away, never leaving that single blue fragment behind.
> 
> Stay safe, smile more, and enjoy the rest of your day!


End file.
